


The Writing Den Novel

by darthcarol



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Fluff, House Crylo, House Dadam, House Flydam, House Plaidam, House Swolo, M/M, Modern AU, My gift to The Writing Den, Reylo - Freeform, Reylo Week Au 2018, Reylo fluff, Smut, Star Wars is a book not a movie, reylo smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-21
Updated: 2018-08-25
Packaged: 2019-06-30 10:45:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15750111
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darthcarol/pseuds/darthcarol
Summary: The one where Rey and her friends are part of the Star Wars fandom, but spend most of their meetings discussing all their favorites Kylo Ren's versions.Just because it's not is not canonical doesn't mean it isn't good, right?





	1. The Writing Den

**Author's Note:**

  * For [reylogan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/reylogan/gifts).



> I made this little fanfic for the Modern Au day ( **Reylo Week Au 2018** ), and also for first our house event, Crylo Boot Camp! ( **GO CRYLO** ) It will also contain at least one prompt per chapter of our August/September prompt event on Discord, and all the prompts used will be listed in the final notes.
> 
> This fanfic is a gift to our incredible [The Writing Den](https://thereylowritingden.tumblr.com/) and all the ladies that are in it.
> 
> It is also a special gift for my girl [reylogan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/reylogan), babe I can't hug you, but I hope I can make you smile with this silly story. <3

Wednesday was Rey's favorite weekday for the past two years. She had moved from the desert town of Jakku, where she grew up, to Chandrila. Chandrila was a great metropolis, so Rey felt lost at first. Not long after she got a job as a mechanic in a small garage that specializes in vintage cars, and that's when things started to improve in her life.  
  
Her boss, Han Solo, and his partner Chewie accepted her quickly after seeing what she was capable of. They both treated Rey as if she were their daughter. They were always checking her health, asking if she had slept well and bringing food to her. Rey, she felt so blessed to have found such gentle bosses. Every Wednesday Han's wife, Leia, came to visit them and brought her lunch with them all. They would usually close for lunch these days, and they would gather in the break room that had a huge table, it was like a big family meal. Rey missed her family, so those moments helped lessen her pain.  
  
Another good thing for Rey on Wednesday was her weekly meeting with her friends. What made this meeting so special was that it was the time she and her friends took to talk about the favorite series of books, Star Wars. They've been having these gatherings for the last nine months, since the most recent novel in the series, The Last Jedi, was released. Their first meeting was completely random.  
  
Rey had gone with his friends Finn and Poe for the launch of the graphic novel for the most recent Star Wars trilogy books. On the waiting line to buy the books, Finn saw that a co-worker, Rose, was standing a few steps in front of them. Finn introduced her to them after everyone had bought their copies. That was also the first time Rey had interacted with Ben Solo, son of Leia and Han, out of the garage. The couple who were with him, Hux and Phasma, overheard a discussion they were having about the relationship between the main characters, Kylo Ren and Kira, and excitedly engaged in a conversation with them. After the event, they ended up eating pizza together. Hux and Phasma were those who suggested that it should become a recurring meeting.  
  
After a few meetings, it became clear the vast interest everyone in the group had about the main character, Kylo Ren. Their interest went beyond the canonical novels, the success of the character was so great that several authors launched stories in alternative universes starring him and his partner, Kira.  
  
Finn and Rose were the ones who most appreciated the alternative universes. Finn liked the stories where the character was portrayed more like a nature guy, constantly wearing plaid shirts and living in the woods. Rey liked to tease him by saying that he was too much into the lumbersexual look. Rose, on the other hand, loved the stories where he was shown having a more intellectual and gentle side, they were usually stories where Kylo was a teacher. Rey had to agree with Rose, there was something alluring about a hot guy with glasses. Rey will never forget how Rose made the faces of all the guys turn red during a conversation about how sexual the teacher look was, by saying “I’m sorry, Professor. I’d hate to be punished for my mistake.” She still laughs at the memory of how fast they all got up from the couch with some lame excuse. Needless to say, Professor Kylo was a topic avoided for several subsequent meetings.  
  
Poe was more attached to the canon version of the character. His favorite scene was him piloting ships and blowing things up, which did not stop him from enjoying the other versions of Kylo.  
  
The real conflict was between the versions of Ben and Rey preferred of Kylo. Rey's favorite part was when Kylo appeared shirtless in front of Kira. She claims that it was significant for them at that moment because it shows a level of intimacy and vulnerability that they hadn't yet shared. For her, it was the first step for them to start a romantic relationship. The disagreements between her and Ben began after she shared her thoughts for the first time in one of the meetings.  
  
Ben, who had always been more faithful to Kylo's canonical version, believed that all their interaction so far showed the character's true intentions toward Kira. He uses as the basis for his arguments how Kylo chooses to keep his emotions always so raw and intense all the time, never needing artifices to show his true intentions.  
  
These differences of opinion and tastes in the group always made the discussions during the meetings more heated than they should. Since Hux and Phasma didn't have as much attachment to the main character as they did, they served as moderators, making sure there was no bloodshed during the encounters.  
  
The encounters could remain well civilized, as long as Ben and Rey had no extreme views on the topic discussed. Rey had nothing against Ben the first few times she had seen him in the garage, on the contrary, she had found him very attractive and charming from the few times she'd seen him there. She never acted in her thoughts because after the first visits, Han commented to Leia during lunch that Ben had a girlfriend, thus killing the curiosity that Rey had in the man.  
  
Rey now feels grateful to have never created the courage to invite Ben out. He infuriated her, and if she could, she would kick him out of their weekly meetings.

 

#

 

Before the meeting, Rey decided to go to the nearby bakery and buy some pastries for her friends. Coming close, she saw someone she would recognize anywhere, Ben Solo, and with him was his girlfriend, Jessica Pava. Rey could fight with Ben all the time, but she didn't think he deserved someone as annoying as that woman. In the few times that their paths crossed, Jessica was always unnecessarily rude to Rey and her friends.

There were two moments that Rey will never forget about Jessica that enraged her. The first was when she inadvertently caught Ben and Jessica arguing out of a restaurant during his birthday. Ben's girlfriend was insulting so much that Rey was sure it was verbal abuse after the woman stopped screaming she left leaving Ben alone in front of the restaurant. Ben had his back to Rey, so she decided to go before he saw her. He returned to the table not long after her, and Rey was surprised at how calm and indifferent he seemed to be with the situation. Rey chose not to intrude on his personal life and kept to herself what she saw.

The second time was on Hux's birthday. Everyone was waiting for Ben to order the food, so Rey decided to go into the bathroom in the meantime. While she was in one of the individual bathroom cabins, she heard Jessica enter the bathroom, apparently talking on the phone. Jessica was talking about how she had been forced to have dinner with _"Ben's losers friends,"_  who only talked about books and stupid nerd stuff. Jessica said she would have ended the relationship with him a long time if he wasn't hot and had a lot of money. Rey pondered talking to Ben about what she had heard, but she remembered how he'd acted on his birthday and something in the back of her mind said he already had an idea of his girlfriend's true intentions. Then that night, she kept her thoughts to herself one more time.

As Rey approached, she could see that they were arguing again.

“It’s me or the cat, you decide,” Jessica shouted.

Rey couldn't see Ben, but by Jessica's annoyed expression gave her an idea of what had been his reaction to his girlfriend ridiculous threat.

"That's Ben Solo. We're done!" Noticing that he didn't intend to stop her, she let out a high-pitched scream and left Ben on the sidewalk.

Rey approached without him noticing and cleared her throat to get his attention. When he looked at her, Rey didn't fail to notice Ben's grin, and she flashed him a mischievous smile back.

“Don’t,” Ben said trying to sound threatening but clearly amused. He went into the bakery before she could speak.

"Oh come on, Benny boy!" Her tone was as amused as his.

“I can’t talk to you until I’ve had some coffee.” He said as she stood behind him in line.  
Rey said nothing but returned all Ben's looks with mischievous expressions.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1st chapter prompts:
> 
> “It’s me or the cat, you decide.”  
> “Don’t.”  
> “I’m sorry, Professor. I’d hate to be punished for my mistake.”  
> “I can’t talk to you until I’ve had some coffee.”


	2. House Dadam

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It seems like it's not just Kylo's professor look that Rey appreciates.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made this little fanfic for the Modern Au day ( **Reylo Week Au 2018** ), and the last chapter will be posted on the fluff day for first house event, Crylo Bootcamp! ( **GO CRYLO** ) It will also contain at least one prompt per chapter of our August/September prompt event on Discord, and all the prompts used will be listed in the final notes.
> 
> This fanfic is a gift to our incredible [The Writing Den](https://thereylowritingden.tumblr.com/) and all the ladies that are in it.
> 
> It is also a special gift for my girl [reylogan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/reylogan), babe I can't hug you, but I hope I can make you smile with this silly story. <3

As they were leaving the bakery, Rey decided not to keep her thoughts to herself and said, "I'm happy for you."

Ben stopped on his tracks and looked at her curiously, "What did you say?"

"I said I'm happy for you, you know," Rey repeated, bitting her lips. She suddenly felt shy to have started this conversation. "Not that it's a good thing to break up with someone, or that I want to see you alone-"

"And what do you mean then?" Ben interrupted her, smirking. He crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Do you like me Andor? Is that what you're trying to say?"

Rey rolled his eyes and snorted, "You wish." She walked past him to leave the bakery.

Ben hurried after her, "If it's not true, why are you running away?"

"I'm not running away." She was starting to regret her decision. "I'm trying to be nice with you, but since you've decided to be the Class A asshole, as usual, I'll just go my way so I will not be late."

"Okay, if you say so," Ben said, with a bit of skepticism in his tone. "So may I ask, why you are happy with the end of my relationship?"

Rey glanced sideways at Ben as they walked, he seemed genuinely curious. "I never liked the way she treated you, saying mean things about your tastes and using you for your money." Her parents taught her that truth is always the best way when trying to build a healthy relationship with someone, even if it's just friendship.

Ben pondered Rey's answer for a moment, then spoke again, "How did you know all this? I don't remember having an argument with her in front of you before today or even telling you anything. So how do you know all this?"

She kicked himself for not thinking first what her honest answer meant. However, to her surprise, Ben didn't seem to be angry at her revelation.

Rey bit his lip and avoided his gaze as she began to speak, “So, funny story…” She then explained to Ben the two intimate moments she had witnessed in the past regarding his ex-girlfriend. He didn't interrupt her speech, and she was grateful for it.

He was quiet for a while after she spoke her part., so Rey created courage and decided to look at him.

Ben smiled gently, returning Rey's gaze. "Thank you for your words."

She was surprised at his choice of words. Rey was sure Ben would at least taunt her for having heard his fight hidden, but he said nothing.

Rey didn't fail to notice how calm Ben was with the whole situation. She even dared to say that he was utterly indifferent to the entire situation, thus cementing her suspicion that he knew the real intentions of his ex-girlfriend.

Not knowing what to say back to him, she chose to remain silent. Fortunately, Ben mirrored her action and they walked silently to Rose's apartment.

 

#

 

As they approached Rose's door, they could hear their friends arguing loudly. From what they could tell from the shouted words, Phasma was protecting Rose's decision to enjoy Kylo's bald version made by a fan that was circulating online, saying it was way better than liking Jar Jar. Ben grunted beside Rey. He was known for defending the character of Jar Jar in discussions, thus earning the title of Jar Jar lover by Phasma.

Rey giggled at his reaction. Ben looked at her at the sound of her laughter, feeling the tips of his ears turn red. He then looked away and rang the bell.

It didn't take long before Rose answered the door.

The first thing Rose noticed was the beautifully decorated box in Rey's hand. "You brought food!" Rose said, with a gleeful expression. It took Rose a moment to notice Ben's presence. "Ben! I didn't see you there."

"I noticed," Ben said playfully.

"Let me live Solo," Rose replied with a sassy tone. "Come in, you two." Rose entered the apartment, with Ben and Rey behind her.

Rose's apartment wasn't huge, but it was comfortable enough to accommodate their meeting. The living room was the largest room. The wall was made of worn red bricks, the windows were huge and had an excellent view of the main street. Most of the walls were covered with bookcases, Rose prided herself on being a book collector, and her collection was one of the reasons Rey loved to come here. In the center of the room, it had a big couch that fitted five and matched the two armchairs. The set faced the fireplace and in the middle of them was a wooden coffee table.

To the left, there was a hall leading to the two bedrooms and the bathroom. A balcony divided the small kitchen from the living room.

"Speaking of Jar Jar's lover," Phasma said from the couch, trying to taunt Ben.

Ben was about to say something when Hux beat him to it, "I thought Jessica was coming with you today."

Rey, who was with Rose in the kitchen, glanced at Ben. She was curious to know what he was going to say.

"We broke up before I came here," Ben said nonchalantly, sitting on one of the armchairs.

Poe and Finn who were also on the couch, but weren't paying attention to Hux, Phasma and Ben conversation, looked suddenly when Ben stopped talking. Ben's friends looked at each other, not knowing what to say to him. Nobody liked Jessica, but they always avoided intervening in his relationship. Phasma Hux nudged her elbow for him to say something.

"I'm sorry?" Hux said, unable to mask how he felt about the situation, which made Phasma poked him harder with the elbow. Hux shot her a look as he massaged the injured spot.

Ben laughed at his friends. "No need." He waved his hand dismissively. "She was a pain in the ass." Ben reached for his glasses. "Anyway, what were you talking about before Phasma started slandering Jar Jar?"

"I just spoke truths," Phasma replied, narrowing her eyes at him.

Rose decided to get in the middle of the conversation to ease the tension. "We were talking about the new story that came with a university au, Purely Academic. Lord knows I need some Professor Kylo in my life."

Ben rolled his eyes dramatically. "Not this again."

Rey walked around on the couch, placing the tray with sweets on the coffee table and sitting in Ben's the opposite chair. She entertained herself with the heated discussion among her friends as she savored one of the sweets. This discussion occurred every time a new story featuring non-canon Kylo came out, but it was still something fun to watch.

Rey and Ben exchanged glances for a second before Ben turned his attention to Finn, who was arguing with him about the importance of different universes. She noticed at that moment that Ben had put on his glasses. Rey hated to admit it to herself, but he looked very seductive with them on. All the conversation in the background about how hot the professor's look was, only served to feed her imagination and she bit her lip instinctively.

Ben glanced at her again, noticing her actions. He smiled wickedly back at her.

Rey choked on the pastry she was eating, feeling her cheeks blush intensely. She apologized coughing and went to the kitchen to drink water.

She started to wonder if she was going crazy, or had he caught her staring lustily at him and enjoyed it?

The thought alone that he might, and she would like to make an emphasis on might, had reciprocated her feelings, twisted her insides and made her core ache with desire.

Remembering that he had just turned single only made it all worse for her. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Purely Academic](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15489357/chapters/35957013) is a real history and it was written by the lovely [5cents](https://archiveofourown.org/users/5cents/pseuds/5cents).
> 
> 2nd chapter prompt:
> 
> “So, funny story…”


	3. House Flydam

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"No offense Peanut, but I've already been with you in a car." Fin said carefully. "And also, Ben has a lot more experience than you driving long distances. I even dare say he's a better driver than Poe."_
> 
> _"Hey!" Poe shouted offended._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made this little fanfic for the Modern Au day ( **Reylo Week Au 2018** ), and the last chapter will be posted on the fluff day for first house event, Crylo Bootcamp! ( **GO CRYLO** ) It will also contain at least one prompt per chapter of our August/September prompt event on Discord, and all the prompts used will be listed in the final notes.
> 
> This fanfic is a gift to our incredible [The Writing Den](https://thereylowritingden.tumblr.com/) and all the ladies that are in it.
> 
> It is also a special gift for my girl [reylogan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/reylogan), babe I can't hug you, but I hope I can make you smile with this silly story. <3

When Rey returned to the room, Hux said: "I know the discussion is interesting, but we have some things to discuss from the trip this weekend." Seeing that he had everyone's attention, he decided to continue. "Phasma and I are going to travel to Naboo tomorrow and from there go straight to Takadona by train Friday, which means we're going to need two cars on the way back, have you decided who's driving?"

Poe decided to say, "I'll drive because I need to go early to open the cabin anyway. I have someone who takes care of her often, but it's still good to open it before everyone gets there."

"Rose and I have the day off Friday. We can go with you," Finn said, looking at Rose who nodded.

"I can drive there, too," Rey spoke confidently.

All her friends looked at her with expressions of someone who had just seen a ghost.

"What?!" Rey asked annoyed.

Ben decided to intervene, "I can drive and Rey can go with me."

"That's a much better option," Hux said, pointing at Ben and avoiding Rey's deadly gaze.

"Why can not I go driving? I'm a great driver." Rey protested their reaction, crossing her arms.

"No offense Peanut, but I've already been with you in a car." Fin said carefully. "And also, Ben has a lot more experience than you driving long distances. I even dare say he's a better driver than Poe."

"Hey!" Poe shouted offended.

"Finn, how can you say that? I thought we were friends!"

"He has a point, Rey," Rose said taking her hand gently.

Rey looked between her friends and snorted in frustration, "Okay, I'll go with Ben." She glanced at Ben and could see that he was smirking again.

And suddenly her mind had the realization that she would spend at least three hours locked in a car with only Ben. Rey felt a flutter sensation on her belly.

 

#

  
By Friday, the two had managed to get their schedules to leave early, and Ben insisted on moving to get her at work, even though she said she still had to go home to take a shower and finish packing her things. He arrived at her work about twenty minutes before she left, with the excuse that she needed to talk to Han. For some reason, Rey did not believe his words.

When she finished, Rey went to the office of Han to warn him and ask permission to leave.

"Han, I've finished the service, can I go now?" Rey said as she entered the office.

"Of course kiddo. Go have fun on your Star Trek weekend."

"Star Wars!" Both she and Ben shouted.

Han rolled his eyes at the two of them. "Star Wars, whatever. I still don't understand, how can you watch that garbage?"

"It's not garbage." Ben protested.

Rey laughed lightly. "Han, you know it's a book, don't you?"

"It's not even a movie?! Your situation is only getting worse by the second." Han shook his head. "Aren't you too old for these things?" He looked from Rey to his son. "Ben, you certainly are."

Before Ben could say anything else, Leia intervened. "Leave them alone Han. Children have the right to like whatever they want." She walked over to Ben and opened her arms to him. "Hi, Ben."

Ben returned her embrace. "Hi, Mom." He blushed when he noticed Rey watching the scene. Leaving his mother's arms, Ben spoke again, "I think we'd better go. Otherwise, it's going to be late." He started walking toward the exit.

"Okay." Leia accompanying him and Rey. "Take care of her, Ben. Drive carefully."

"He's a great driver, like his dad, no need to worry," Han said presumptuously, following them a little further back.

"Being your child, in this case, doesn't help him or calms my nerves," Leia replied to her husband.

Rey watched the scene fondly. Even though they seemed to be arguing all the time, Rey could see the love they felt for each other, and she hoped that one day she might meet someone to share moments like that.

Stopping in front of the car, Ben turned to answer his mother. "Mom, I always drive carefully." He hugged her one more time. "Good weekend, I'll see you Monday."

"Good weekend Ben." She left her son's embrace to say goodbye to Rey. "Good weekend for you too, Rey."

Rey was always caught by surprise by Leia's warm hugs. "Thank You. For you, too, Leia."

Han watched a little apart, waving at the two of them. Leia joined him and decided to say something before Ben left, "Enjoy it kids and don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"Mother!" Ben felt the tip of his ears burn.

"Use protection!" Han decided to add, amused at this son's embarrassment.

"Dad! Ben was sure his whole face was bright red now.

Rey began to laugh intensely at Ben's expense. "Bye, Han, bye, Leia!" She waved at the old couple. "See you Monday!"

Ben didn't say anything else, but he was clearly annoyed.

Rey stole glances at him as he drove to her house. For her, he looked adorable all frustrated like that. And suddenly, she began to appreciate the fact that she had to spend three hours in the car with him.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 3rd chapter prompts:
> 
> "How can you watch that garbage?"  
> "I thought we were friends!"
> 
> Special chapter to my Flydam Babes: [SageMcMae](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SageMcMae), [AmberDread](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmberDread/pseuds/AmberDread), [AlbaStarGazer](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlbaStarGazer/pseuds/AlbaStarGazer), [omegaling](https://archiveofourown.org/users/omegaling/pseuds/omegaling), [JustAnotherSailorScout](https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustAnotherSailorScout/pseuds/JustAnotherSailorScout), [redheadnerdrage](https://archiveofourown.org/users/redheadnerdrage), [KyloTrashForever](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KyloTrashForever/pseuds/KyloTrashForever), [CatchMeLikeKyloRen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CatchMeLikeKyloRen/pseuds/CatchMeLikeKyloRen), [rileybabe](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rileybabe), [INTPSlytherin_reylove97](https://archiveofourown.org/users/INTPSlytherin_reylove97), [LordMortem](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LordMortem), [WinglessOne](https://archiveofourown.org/users/WinglessOne/pseuds/WinglessOne), [kylosgirl9593](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kylosgirl9593), [reylocalligraphy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/reylocalligraphy), [ReyloRobyn2011](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReyloRobyn2011), [Killtheselights](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Killtheselights), [resplendently](https://archiveofourown.org/users/resplendently). *green heart emoji*


	4. House Plaidam

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Ben put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer to him, whispering in her ear, "It's okay baby. They know now."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made this little fanfic for the Modern Au day ( **Reylo Week Au 2018** ), and also for first our house event, Crylo Boot Camp! ( **GO CRYLO** ) It will also contain at least one prompt per chapter of our August/September prompt event on Discord, and all the prompts used will be listed in the final notes.
> 
> This fanfic is a gift to our incredible [The Writing Den](https://thereylowritingden.tumblr.com/) and all the ladies that are in it.
> 
> It is also a special gift for my girl [reylogan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/reylogan), babe I can't hug you, but I hope I can make you smile with this silly story. <3

The trip to Rey's house did not take long, and arriving there Rey didn't know what to do about Ben. They hadn't discussed what he was going to do while she packed up her things.

"Hm...Ben?" She spoke uncertainly as he was parking.

"What's it?" Ben asked, looking in her direction.

Rey was fidgeting with her keys, nervously. "Do you want to go up or will you wait here?"

"I'd like to come up if you do not mind. It would be good to stretch my legs before I drive for hours." He elaborated.

"Makes sense."

They got out of the car and entered Rey's building. Ben followed her because he'd never been to her house before.

When Rey opened the door, a large ball of fur came running toward them. Rey immediately bent down to greet her dog.

"Is that your dog?" Ben questioned, closing the door behind him and mimicking Rey's actions and bending down to speak to stroke the dog's fur. Her dog was a collie, with beautiful chestnut brown fur, he thought the race suited her very well as a companion.

"Yes, her name is Kira." She smiled sheepishly at the reference to the books' heroine. "I adopted her when she was little. Someone dropped her in the garage's door." Rey stood up, going inside her apartment.

Rey's apartment was smaller than Rose's, everything inside it seemed to have her personal, Ben noted. All pieces of furniture were unique and had a vintage look on them, completely different from each other. Incredibly, everything went well together, and the whole place looked like a collector's exhibition.

"I'll go in the room to pack things and take a shower. I'll be right back." Rey said undoing her three buns.

Ben noticed how beautiful she was with her hair down. "No problem. I'll keep Kira company."

Rey smiled and went to her room.

Ben played for a while with Kira until she got tired and went to eat something. He decided to walk around the room, taking a closer look at the details of Rey's apartment. Rey's bookcase was considerably smaller than Rose's and held only a modest collection of books. Ben recognized most of them, he couldn't help but admit she had a taste for literature. Then he saw a book he didn't recognize. Its cover looked interesting, so he pulled it off the shelf. With the book in hand, he noticed that it wasn't a book but an old photo album. His curiosity got the better of him, so Ben decided to sit on the couch and flip through it.

The first pictures were of a baby Rey. Ben found himself smiling at the small ball of joy with her rosy cheeks. As he turned the pages, he saw a succession of photos with a couple that could only be Rey's parents. The resemblance was evident between them and Rey. Most of Rey's pictures in her teens was her dressed in her usual tomboy style. Ben liked it.

When he turned the last page, a photo fell to the ground. He bent down to pick it up, but before he could get a better look at it, Rey took the picture of his hand quickly and placed it behind her back.

"What are you doing?" Rey shouted.

"I found your album and was looking at it." He spoke, as if it weren't much, trying to mask how happy he was at his discovery. "What are you trying to hide?"

Rey blushed at his question. "It's none of your business. You shou-"

"You know I saw the content of the photo, right?" Ben cocked his head and raised his eyebrows at her.

He watched her eyes widen comically with his revelation. Ben took advantage of her lack of words to continue. "Was that a cape?"

"BEN SOLO!"

"You don't have to feel ashamed Rey. I already know you're a super nerdy girl."

She snorted annoyed. "Look who's talking."

"First, I didn't deny that I was a nerd, and second," Ben's expression soothing to a softer one."I find it lovely that you enjoy these things. Being honest with you, I probably have a similar picture somewhere in my mother's house." He saw Rey relaxing with his words. "Now let me see it, please?"

Rey turned her face and outstretched her hand for him took the picture.

Ben smiled at her shyness. Usually, Rey was so fearless, that seeing her ashamed was a pleasant change of air. He gently took the picture of her hand and stared at it for a second. For him, nothing was embarrassing about that photo. On the contrary, he found it very endearing.

Ben's silence was nerve-wracking for Rey, so she decided to speak, dropping her gaze to the ground. "You can laugh if you want."

Rey's hurt tone made him wake up from his thoughts. "I don't want it." He declared looking at her.

Hearing the sincerity in his voice, she looked up. She could see clearly that Ben had no intention to mock her.

"This photo is cool, " Ben said, smiling genuinely. "and you're adorable in it."

She'd never seen Ben smile at her like that. It made her stomach flutter.

"T-Thank you." Rey looked away shyly. Trying to change the subject, she said, "I came to tell you that if you want something you can pick it up in the refrigerator."

Ben decided not to dwell on the subject, how coy she was. "Thanks, but I'm okay, Rey."

"I'm going to take a shower then, I won't take long," She said, heading for the bathroom.

After Rey left, Ben took a picture with his cell phone from her photo and put the album back on the shelf.

 

#

 

Rey was visibly tired when she got into the car. Ben insisted that she sleep on the way to Takadona, but she was a bit reluctant. Partly because she thought it would be rude to sleep while he drove and partly because she wanted to take advantage of this moment alone to get to know him a bit more. He has been lovely to her these in the past day, and she believes that maybe they have the chance to become more friends, or something else.

Unfortunately for Rey, she was more tired than she expected and ended up sleeping in the middle of the conversation with Ben without even noticing.

She was awakened by Ben shaking her gently. "Rey?" He said in a low voice. "Rey? We're here."

When Rey opened her eyes, she noticed that Ben's face was close. Because of the proximity, Rey could see that his eyes were not so dark as she thought. They had a light brown color, honey-like, almost matching hers. His eyes were wandering all over her face, paying particular attention to her lips. They stayed like this for a second, sharing an intense look, but before they could move forward, a knock on Ben's window broke their moment.

Poe's voice filled the silence, "Aren't you going out?"

Rey grunted loudly and rolled her eyes exaggeratedly, unable to contain her annoyance at the interruption a

Ben chuckled at her reactions. "Come on."He invited her, turning to open his door.

"Finally! I thought you were never going out." Poe looked at them as they got out of the car. "Were you two making out or something?"

"Poe!" Rey shouted in protest, approaching them.

Ben laughed at their interaction. "No, we weren't." He looked at Rey and smirked, making her blush slightly. "Rey was sleeping, and I was trying to wake her up."

"Well, then you got out fast. When Rey sleeps, the world could be ending and still wouldn't move," Poe said, gaining a contempt look from Rey but he ignored it. "Anyway, bring your stuff inside so that we can discuss our dinner situation." He ordered and entered the house.

Ben went to get their bags and Rey followed. "I can take mine." She announced softly.

"No need. I got this." Ben winked at her, going toward the house.

She was behind him a little further back, lost in thought about their recent interactions. Rey didn't know if he was with her or if he was serious in his attempts.

Poe's family cabin was in the middle of the Takadona forest, near the lake. It was sizeable wooden construction and was two stories high. On the ground floor it was the living room, the kitchen, and the game room and at on the first floor were the four bedrooms and the two communal bathrooms. On the outside behind the cabin, it had a heated pool, a barbecue area and the deck leading to the lake. Since Poe came from a big family, it was natural that their vacation home had to be on the larger side.

One of the best parts from the cabin for Rey was that Poe's grandfather had built it only with wood from the trees that had naturally fallen into the forest and solar panels generated all the energy consumed by the house. His grandfather was quite fond of the woods, and he wanted to make sure the cabin wouldn't impact more than needed.

Everyone was gathered in the living room, talking animatedly.

"I managed to get them to stop their making out session in the car and join us," Poe said as he entered the room.

"We weren't making out!" Rey's protested almost immediately. "Aren't you going to say anything?" She inquired to Ben as he put their suitcases on the floor.

He turned to her, and she could see his playful expression. Ben put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer to him, whispering in her ear, "It's okay baby. They know now."

It took Rey a moment to compose herself after hearing him call her baby. That word coming from his lips and the rough tone of his voice made her insides melt. Returning to her senses, Rey pushed Ben slightly, leaving his embrace. "W-What are you doing?"

It was Finn's turn to speak, "It's all right Rey, it's not like we didn't know that it was going to happen."

All Rey's friends nodded in agreement to Finn's words.

"See what you've done? People think we're something now!" Rey accused Poe.

To her surprise, Ben was the one who spoke next. "And what's the problem with that?" Ben asked, dropping his arms from her shoulders with disappointment in his eyes.

She stood there, looking at the man next to her speechless.

To Rey's happiness, Rose decided to intervene. "Leave the poor girl alone." Rose gave Rey a sympathetic look. "We still have many things to decide, such as what to eat tonight."

"We would starve if it weren't for Rose reminding us of food," Poe said.

Rey used the distraction of his friends to try to talk to Ben.

"Ben?" She called him gently. He was quiet, looking in the direction of his friends but with the head elsewhere. Rey insisted, "Ben?" This time she succeeded, and he looked at her, and she could see a little bit of hurt in his eyes.

_Was it because of what I said before?_ Rey pondered.

Ben forced a smile. "Let's join them before Rose kills Finn for wanting to spend the night just eating snacks and marshmallows."

He didn't give her time to respond, heading toward their friends and sitting next to Hux on the couch. Rey went to stand beside Rose, who was sitting on the sofa opposite to what Ben had sat.

She thought for a second what were the implications of pursuing a relationship with Ben. As much as she found him attractive, and agreed that Ben could fun to have around when they weren't fighting over Star Wars, dating him meant many changes in several parts of her life. Rey not only shared her best friends with him, but she also worked for her family, the situation could go bad very fast if they didn't work out. Rey's concerns weren't unfounded, although Ben was friendly and flirtatious with her now and then, she didn't know what his real intentions were. Also, she couldn't imagine a man who had just come out of a long serious relationship wanting to get into another.

Before she could dwell on the subject, Rey's thoughts were interrupted by Ben's yelling, "What my clothes have to do with this?!"

"If you didn't want to do it, why did you come dressed as a lumberjack?" Poe argued back unreasonably.

Rey smiled noticing that Poe was right, Ben was dressed in a lumberjack look. He was wearing a red and black plaid shirt with large squares that was a size bigger, worn dark jeans and black boots. Paired with his long dark locks and goatee, Ben was the definition of lumbersexual for Rey. If Finn knew what she was thinking, she would never hear the end of his teasing.

Ben rose hastily, "What has one thing to do with the other?"

"Just do it, honey," Phasma commanded gently. "You know he's not going to stop until you do it. Also, it'll be nice to see you use those muscles for something useful for a change."

Ben fumed at Phasma's words but walked toward where the pieces of wood were behind the cabin.

"What's going on?" Rey asked.

"Distracted much?" Finn taunted her. "Poe annoyed your boyfriend so that he would chop wood for us."

Rey rolled her eyes. "Why didn't you guys cut it early?"

"I can see someone didn't deny the boyfriend part." Finn glanced suggestively at her. "Honestly, Poe was waiting for you to arrive. We did a lot during the day, so we left part of the service for those who arrived later."

"It's just fair," Poe stated.

Rey pondered for a few seconds, "Yes, it is. What can I do?"

"You can help me clean the tables outside," Phasma suggested.

"Sure." Rey smiled widely at the blonde woman.

"I'll go with you, too," Rose added.

"We go in the city, to buy things for dinner and some other things that are missing." Poe gestured at him, Finn and Hux. "Do you want something from the market?"

"No." All three said at the same time, making them laugh.

"Okay then." Poe raised his hands in surrender.

As soon as they left, the girls went to the back of the cabin, in the same direction Ben had gone. Rey was the last of them to leave the house, and the scene she saw left her mouth watering.

Ben was facing them, his plaid shirt now open, revealing the tight gray shirt he had underneath it. The gray piece was wet from sweat and glued to his frame, outlining all his perfectly built muscular chest. Every time Ben lifted his arms swigging the ax, his shirt lifted and Rey could see the lower part of his abdomen, especially the V-shaped entrances on his hip.

_This man is going to be the death of me..._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 4th chapter prompts:
> 
> "Is that your dog?"  
> "What are you trying to hide?"  
> "Was that a cape?"
> 
> Special chapter to my Plaidam Hotties: [Akashne](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akashne/pseuds/Akashne), [Kylohhh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kylohhh/pseuds/Kylohhh), [Polkadotdotdot](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Polkadotdotdot/), [Daisyflo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daisyflo/pseuds/Daisyflo), [sunshineflying](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunshineflying/pseuds/sunshineflying), [tomorrowthestars](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tomorrowthestars/pseuds/tomorrowthestars), [Perperuna](http://archiveofourown.org/users/perperuna), [AKnightOfWren](https://archiveofourown.org/users/aknightofwren), [asongforjonsa](https://archiveofourown.org/users/asongforjonsa/pseuds/asongforjonsa), [Ria84](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ria84/pseuds/Ria84), [Atchamb7](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Atchamb7), [Pandora_Spocks](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pandora_Spocks), [Dkla1313](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dkla1313), [literaryminded](https://archiveofourown.org/users/literaryminded), [geekmystic](https://archiveofourown.org/users/geekmystic/), [iffyluv](https://archiveofourown.org/users/iffyluv), [nite0wl29](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nite0wl29), [juniordreamer](https://archiveofourown.org/users/juniordreamer/pseuds/juniordreamer), [strawberrycupcake_huckleberrypie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/strawberrycupcake_huckleberrypie/pseuds/strawberrycupcake_huckleberrypie), [Melusine11](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Melusine11).
> 
> *red heart emoji*


End file.
